The present invention relates generally to improvements for golf gloves, the improvements more particularly being directed to stabilizing the shape and size of the golf glove.
1. Field of the Invention
It is common practice in constructing golf gloves of leather, the construction material of choice, to provide a smooth, wrinkle-free interface between the palm of the glove and the golf club handle as well as to establish a friction grip, in some glove portions and in other glove portions to use elastomeric construction material, the latter at glove locations where the fingers flex in the gripping of the golf club handle. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,979 for xe2x80x9cGlove With Elastic Backxe2x80x9d issued to Redwood et al. on Jan. 20, 1998, elastic is used along the back of leather finger enclosures at least over one knuckle of each finger to allow stretching when the finger is bent.
Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,885 for xe2x80x9cGolf Glovesxe2x80x9d issued to Kobayashi et al. on Dec. 5, 2000 to promote proper fit, most of the back part and palm part of the glove body is formed from a stretch material.
While these exemplary golf gloves fit properly, it is known from common experience that long before they show signs of abuse of wear, they are stretched out of size and shape and on this account must be replaced. This is undoubtedly due to excessive, rather than judicious use of elastic glove components, in that as between elastic and leather, the latter is the more stable as to size and shape.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination leather and elastic constituted golf glove overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object to complement, not replace, the leather of the golf glove and, in so doing, impart a stabilized size and shape to the glove by its leather construction material, and obviate the loss of this stability by the judicious use of elastic construction material, all as will be better understood as the description proceeds.
Underlying the present invention is the recognition that a golf glove is not just placed in wearing service, so-to-speak xe2x80x9concexe2x80x9d during a round of golf, namely at the beginning of the round and then removed after the round, but that at the end of each golf hole there occurs a process of hiking the glove onto the golfer""s hand and, unless neutralized, the forces applied to the glove could distort its shape and size.
The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims.